not as outsiders
or mute spectators,
but that, understanding the mystery

through the rites and prayers,
they take part in the sacred action

consciously,
devoutly
and actively,

that they be instructed
by the word of God,

that they be nourished
at the table of the Lord’s Body,

that they give thanks to God,

that, offering the immaculate host
not only through the priest but with him,
they may learn to offer themselves,

and that, through Christ
the Mediator,
they may be drawn day after day

into more perfect union
with God and with one another,
so that in the end

God may be all in all.

It’s a wonderful mystical vision of the great importance and sacredness of every part of the Mass, and of the people of God offering up themselves to Him, joining their little sacrifices to Jesus’ great one and thus becoming more fully His Body. No meal if there’s no sacrifice, and His re-presented sacrifice must become ours.

It’s not “yay, we’re so holy and cool that God has to love us!” or “Jesus isn’t any more present in the Eucharist than anything else”. Yes, you can see how some people could take it that way. But then, we see every day on the Internet that reading comprehension assumes some desire to understand what was written.

I was sorry to see that Dermatology Diary has gone dormant. It’s a site I visited every now and again, because the short musings of an experienced old Abilene doctor are interesting and enlightening.

The stuff about nurse practitioners was particularly cogent. I went to a dermatology doctor that had those, and I’m never going to do that again. They don’t act like real doctors — they don’t look you over and ask you questions, and then figure out what’s wrong. No, you’re supposed to come up with symptoms, and heaven help you if there’s more than the magic insurance number of three. Never mind that all the “conditions” you could name might all be one condition! Don’t even consider the fact that a lot of people nervously or unknowingly save the worst for last! No, if it’s more than three, they don’t want to know.

Also, if you go to see a specialist doctor and pay specialist doctor prices, but only see a nurse practitioner, they ought to lop at least 50-75% off your bill. Heck, you could have just stayed home and searched around on the Web.

The scariest bit was after they sent somebody in to do minor surgery on my yucky bit of skin. I thought she was a doctor, but it turned out afterwards she was another nurse practitioner! Holy crud! Oh, yeah, and they never were real sure what it was, but they still sent me a bill.

I did some research on the Internet that _was_ better than that.

The sad thing is that, when you’re sick or scared that you are, you’re not in the best position to object, or even think of objecting. You do what they tell you to do, trusting that they’ll make you feel better, and then you find yourself at the desk paying and wrangling with the insurance, and then they let you go out the door thankful to be done with the insurance… and suddenly you realize you didn’t get what you wanted and needed, but it’s too late.

Which is why you should take someone with you. Preferably someone who asks obnoxious questions, like “When do we see the real doctor?” :)